The Kyoto Hannaryz have a former NBA center (Lance Allred) on their roster. Fundamentally sound, a team-first player, Allred could show his skills to impressionable young players in a league-approved appearance on any Japanese network, preferably a mini-documentary, or an hour-long special on NHK. Would the program directors at said stations be willing to show it -- show some guts -- focusing on an upstart league that is a rival to the old-guard (old-boys network) JBL? And would someone at the league office have the foresight to aggressively suggest this and pitch the idea to all the networks and to Kyoto's front office, too? Not sure. But here it is: Go for it. Do it now. Sounds to me like a perfect Sunday Sports segment before Japanese baseball and pro soccer seasons begin in a few weeks.One area of basketball where Japanese players need greater exposure and training in is this: big man's skills. And there's an ideal candidate here to help show those skills.His story, too, could be a tale of inspiration for any aspiring player. Allred has paid his dues -- playing in Europe, spending time in the NBA Development League -- before getting his chance to play in the NBA. He fulfilled his dream. And he was the first legally deaf player in NBA history; his was the road less traveled. Terrific story, even if he mostly sat on the bench. (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lance_allred/career_stats.html)The public ought to know Allred's story via this nation's Japanese mass media, as well as through the bj-league's publicity department, which does a very poor job highlighting the career accomplishments and relevance of the talented imports who come here to help the league grow as well as collect a paycheck. There are thousands of AKB48 snippets in the press every month. Well, an ex-NBA player is here, collecting a paycheck -- make that two, actually....Saitama PG Kenny Satterfield is leading the bj-league in assists. This is also worth considering: Give these guys a live exhibition against any two bj-league players or JBL guys or national teams. Get a big sponsor and show a 2-on-2 game in prime time live. Good for the sport. Good for basketball media. Good for an original, fun concept to drum up interest in a sport that needs it.

The bj-league attracted a crowd of reportedly 14,011 fans (including those with comp. tickets) for Sunday's All-Star Game. Lots of star players in the house, coaches, league personalities. It's a day when a journalist, from any locale in Japan, should be given as much time as possible to, well, do their work. For a league that's so spread out, there are rare opportunities to speak to as many people in the league at one time, especially since the league to this day refuses to set up weekly, twice-monthly or monthly press teleconferences with a rotating cast of coaches and players and other key figures (which can be done for free using technology such as Skype). I've made this request on several occasions, by the way. Never once has the league suggested it will even consider setting up something like this that would benefit the league and its media and, ultimately, the fans.Instead, after the game, which tipped off at 5:10 p.m., and ended with a chaotic scattering of players and coaches -- no organized function with players for the gathered press -- the press room was literally a mad frenzy for those scrambling to get, in some cases, multiple stories written before being kicked out of the press room at 9:30.

Where's the respect for journalists' deadline? For a reasonable amount of time to get their work done in a comfortable fashion? Adding this extra burden of getting done at that early of an hour before going elsewhere to do one's work was ridiculous.Sure, Saitama Super Arena isn't the cheapest venue to book, and the league has bills to pay. But it also owes it to the gathered journalists, those chronicling the league's history and doing work that educates the public and gives more fans a reason to care about the league, to set closing times that meet the standards of common decency. Sunday's post-game get-outta-here deadline was not decent at all. It caused extra chaos at a time of night with media deadlines approaching.

The Ryukyu Golden Kings use the backboard very effectively when taking shots - layups, jumpers, leaners, turnaround moves, etc. - and this is an advantage other teams could do a better job of emulating.

This playoff contest from last season shows how the hometown/home prefecture rivalry between the Kyoto Hannaryz and Shiga Lakestars has developed, and demonstrates the JBL model is clearly outdated. In spite of the bj-league's reliance on too many home venues per team, this game footage shows how a home rivalry benefits the sport and makes for a better game - for players, fans, media, society ... everybody.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ESP8TVdkqM&feature=related

Osaka Evessa coach Ryan Blackwell, now in his second season at the helm, reflected on the impact and still-growing legacy of two-time All-Star MVP Lynn Washington, who collected the award for the second straight season on Sunday at Saitama Super Arena, and star guard Cohey Aoki in an interview this week.Blackwell said, "Cohey and Lynn are veterans and proven winners in this league. They've been around since the league first started and both have had a lot of success(All-Star and Final 4 appearances, MVPs, etc). Cohey is still searching for his championship but even without it he and Lynn are arguably the best import and Japanese players to ever play in this league and everyone recognizes that..."

*Here's what a die-hard Golden Kings fans told me after his team rallied from 18 points down in the fourth quarter and defeated the Rizing Fukuoka 68-65 on Narito Namizato's buzzer-beating 3 on Tuesday in Naha, Okinawa.

"It was just a beautiful comeback, and a more beautiful shot to win it. When you hold that opponent to seven points in the final quarter, you are playin' your heart out. I know those dudes are tired," he said, noting Ryukyu, now a league-best 19-5, only dressed eight players due to injuries.

*Golden Kings backup guard Yasufumi Takushi is a bona-fide specialist, a 3-point shooter who gets the job done game after game, week after week. Case in point: Takushi has made 25 3-pointers in 170 minutes. He isn't afraid to take a shot, and often comes up with two or three in quick succession to give his team a boost.

*Niigata center Chris Holm, the league's rebounding king at 14.5 rebounds per game, has to be in the discussion for MVP at this stage of the season. After his 22-point, 20-rebound effort on Tuesday, the Albirex moved into first place by beating the two-time defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix, who had occupied the spot atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Happy Monday, readers...It's no accident that most Western Conference teams are playing at a truly high level this season. Coaching stability and/or the hiring of experienced bench bosses have played a significant factor in where teams stand entering the first Tuesday of 2012.

*The first-place Ryukyu Golden Kings (18-5 through Monday) have let Dai Oketani run the show since 2008. He won a championship in his first season in charge and has guided the Kings to back-to-back Final Fours since then, including a championship runnerup last season. Jeff Newton and Anthony McHenry set the tone for team and a roster with skilled players at all positions stays hungry to compete night in and night out for Oketani.

*The Osaka Evessa and Kyoto Hannaryz are both 15-5. The Evessa advanced to the Final Four for a sixth straight season last May, getting there this time under first-year coach Ryan Blackwell, who had played under ex-boss Kensaku Tennichi. Blackwell is a capable mentor and pushes his players effectively. Two-time MVP Lynn Washington and six-time All-Star Cohey Aoki can make any coach look good, but Blackwell still does the grunt work of managing the team's playbook and game plan.

*Kyoto, which handed the reins to Honoo Hamaguchi, the longtime Sendai 89ers sideline supervisor, for its third season in the league, has been a superb team. Winners of 12 straight games, the Hannaryz play hard-nosed defense, crash the boards, make smart decisions with the basketball and take good shots. Hamaguchi, of course, has former NBA center Lance Allred and former NBA draft pick Rick Rickert in the frontcourt. But he's found a way to get all of his players to buy into his system and there's been an exceptionally quick learning curve for the squad.

*The 15-7 Shiga Lakestars are no slouch, either. New coach Alan Westover, who has been an assistant coach and head coach for National Basketball League-winning clubs in Australia, has kept his team in contention since the season began. Veteran scorers Josh Peppers and Yu Okada provide offensive punch as expected. Shinya Ogawa has raised his offensive game as well. Takamichi Fujiwara reminds a steady but unflashy presence at the point. Dionisio Gomez is a strong force at both ends of the floor. Ray Nixon adds a winning spirit and a underrated offensive spark (he's an excellent shooter) to the squad after helping the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix win a championship last spring. Kazuya "J." Hatano brings a rugged rebounder's workload off the bench and the energy to match. And, steady, well-rounded center Julius Ashby was a major offseason pickup, too. He knows how to play in this league and knows the league well

*The Rizing Fukuoka (15-8) have consistently been among the league's better scoring teams under coach Tadaharu Ogawa, now in his third season at the helm. Ogawa has done a good job of getting newcomers Gary Hamilton and Kevin Palmer to fill starring roles. That job used to belong to three-time scoring champion Michael Parker, who joined the Shimane Susanoo Magic in the offseason. Akitomo Takeno continues to grow as a dynamite scorer and veteran point guard Jun Nakanishi knows how to get his teammates involved on offense and make a few big plays a game on defense. Credit Ogawa for being the glue that holds this team together.

*The sixth-place Magic (12-10) have a balanced, well-rounded lineup. It all begins with perennial MVP candidate Parker. Zeljko Pavlicevic, the former Japan national team and two-time Euroleague-winning coach, has molded his team into a difficult matchup for anyone. Edward Yamamoto is becoming one of the league's elite passing guards. Jumpei Nakama is working to reprise his role as a perimeter scorer after six seasons with the Tokyo Apache; the long layoff after the Apache pulled the plug on the season in March was a big setback for Nakama, but he's put in the work to regain the form that saw him play at the highest level of his career last season (and it's worth repeating he received plenty of praise from ex-Tokyo coach Bob Hill, who coached NBA greats Reggie Miller and David Robinson in his long career, for the way he approached the game). Reggie Golson may be the best passing forward in the league and Jeral Davis is a shot-blocking menace in the low post. Pavlicevic is constantly pushing his players and working to find the right combinations, and this includes steady post player B.J. Puckett and guard Tatsuhiro Yokoo.

*The Miyazaki Shining Suns (10-13) have made big strides in their second season. Koto Toyama, the former Hamamatsu assistant under Kazuo Nakamura when the the Phoenix won their first championship, is growing into his role as a leader. Perhaps that's a lesson for other teams' front office executives, a reminder that patience is a virtue, even in pro sports. Sure, the team is far from perfect, but much improved since a slow start in October.

*The Oita HeatDevils (5-18) under rookie head coach Yukinori Suzuki need more depth. It's tough to make a fair evaluation of Suzuki's coaching based on a roster with several flaws.

*The Takamatsu Five Arrows (1-21) also brought in a new bench boss. Kenzo Maeda, last year's assistant under Atsushi Kanazawa, needs more players and the team needs to spend more money to overhaul its roster.